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1 OCT 12 1900 

Copyright ootry 
StCCND COPY. 

D* Uv*««rf to 

04W.H P.VSI0N, 



®^ <t. a. Boweber, 



6 



Champaign, Illinois' 

1000. 



1 



The work of the School is to deduce the absolute curriculum 
and to acquaint man with it. The work of the Church is to per- 
suade man to heed it. 






SDttiicatcti to 

that appearing- SOLIDARITY, that inspiring- and 
progressive principle of the twentieth century, the 
mutual interest and welfare of all mankind, the right- 
ful manipulation of energy; to its greatest advocate 
and protector, my beloved country, THE UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA, and to that strong-est guar- 
anty for the perpetuity of them both, our noble SYS- 
TEM OP PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



Heaven is that place where energy is being perfectly manipu- 
lated. 



PREFACE 



This pamphlet is an attempt to present the ground 
plans of an absolute curriculum. The purport of the 
curriculum of every educationist in the land is to pre- 
sent that line of information which, by its use, the 
learner may be enabled to more nearly coordinate with 
the rest of mankind in the responsibilities of life. 
And it would be well, if possible, to find a common 
basis from which all curricula may be derived, and 
thereby determined as to their comparatively funda- 
mental or derivative relations in positive terms. Such 
is believed to be possible, and the scheme for the con- 
summation of which is hereby presented, with the 
hope that what the reader may at first consider as an 
apparent presumption will prove to be the embodiment 
of truth. 

Very respectfully, 



Champaign, Illinois, 1900. 



C.^, A. Bowsher. 



Copyrighted and Published 
By the Author. 

Printed and Bound by The Gazette. 



w 



THE ABSOLUTE CURRICULUM 

ITS BASIS 



When a dweller on the broad plains of the Missis- 
sippi Valley visits for the first time the mountains of 
the west, say the vicinity of Denver, his sense of sig-ht 
apparently becomes deranged. He experiences a con- 
viction of failure in coordinating- with his environ- 
ment. The perspective appears distorted, the units 
of measurement become wonderfully magnified and 
things are not what they seem. He is profoundly 
impressed with a magnificent simplicity found every- 
where in the most wonderful profusion and variety. 
Scenes of grandeur combined in colossal and pictur- 
esque proportions impress him with the truly awful 
and sublime. In his singular confusion, a point of 
view is intuitively sought for from which he may 
orient himself, rectify the units of measurements and 
gauge the perspective. Accordingly, one finds him- 
self nicely situated at the University of Denver, south- 
east of the city and with face westward ho, makes a 
first general survey. There limned against the clear 
blue of a western sky is perceived the front rank of 
the serried hosts of the great continental divide. It 
appears at first blush that some Titan had piled a 
jagged and precipitous ridge before you. At the 

5 



southwest end, 75 miles distant, like a sentinel, stands 
the prominence of Pike's Peak capped in white. At 
equal distance to the northwest is Long's Peak simi- 
larly imposing- and bedecked. Between them, arranged 
in stately company front, are many valorous forms as 
yet unnamed and unsung-. On viewing- this vast array 
of grandeur mantled in the various shades of green of 
mig-hty forests, the whole g-amut of emotions is 
thrumbed. On due experience, perhaps, you will feel 
like the rough rider who, after scaling succeeding 
heights through vistas of beauty indescribable, impul- 
sively arose in his stirrups and with sombrero aloft, 
shouted enthusiastically, " Hurrah, hurrah for God!" 
As it is in this little bit of objective reality, so it 
is in the subjective realm. Man contemplates upon 
the activities of his kind. From the even tenor of 
his way he views the surging forces of the subjective 
world. He compares them with the annals of the 
past. After sieges of arduous toil he adjusts himself 
to a rational perspective, constructs appropriate units 
of measurement and orients himself from an univer- 
sal point of view. He conceives of the doctrines of 
Confucius and Mencius, of Brahman and Buddha, of 
Moses and Jesus Christ, of Parmenides, Socrates, 
Plato and Aristotle, of Caesar and Cicero, of Moham- 
med, of Bacon, Descartes, Newton, Darwin, LeSage 
and Clerk Maxwell. Through all these various doc- 
trines, a simple truth appears in magnificent simplicity 
in the most wonderful profusion and variety. As the 
trained geologist views the great uplift and conceives 



it related to some basic substratum of which the 
stately range is but a wrinkle and the hig-hest peak 
but a grain of sand, so the mind must view the great 
uplift and trend of civilization from some basic and 
simple impulse and motive of man and from which em- 
anate the doctrines of these peaks of humanity. This 
basic theme, this central idea for which all philosophy 
has soug-ht, this psychological pole star and intellec- 
tual compass by which the activities of man may be 
coordinated and adjusted in their proper latitudes and 
longitudes and from which man may inquire of his 
destiny is a reality, a basic substratum, it is an ideal 
that remains the same yesterday, today and forever. 
Upon its basic principle rests the real of human rela- 
tions today, our confidence in the future and all that 
was g-ood and true in the past. It is the basis of an 
absolute curriculum. 

To attain the meaning- of this absolute curricu- 
lum, we must subject our minds to the dictates of the 
universal psychological law. This law is believed to 
be as absolute for the activities of the mind as the 
law of gravitation is for the factors of objective 
reality, for the awful avalanche or the tiny capillaries 
of the mountains returning- their waters to the mater- 
nal flood. By it may any two minds be related in 
positive terms. The law is as follows: Any two minds 
may attain identical opinions concerning- the same 
thing-, provided they speak the same lang-uag-e, use 
the same terminolog-y, employ the same units of meas- 
urement for contrasting- conceptions, classify deduc- 



8 

tions by the same system of coordination and have 
the same point of view. 

In attuning- our minds to these five requirements 
of the law, let us satisfy the fourth first, the system 
of coordination, since the first and second are reason- 
ably well known. And, too, let us postulate that 
anything- whatever that may be thought upon be 
termed a world relation; then all world relations may 
be grossly classified into objective reality, subjective 
reality and pure subjective. 

Objective reality includes all terrestrial relations 
independent of man. 

Subjective reality includes all terrestrial relations 
dependent on man. 

Pure subjective includes those world relations not 
wholly controlled by the universal psychological law. 

What is objective reality? What are relations 
independent of man? Imagine him stricken from the 
face of the earth, what world relations would yet 
remain? The fundamental, the absolute, the object- 
ive and the eternal. Would the winds then blow, car- 
rying with them the summer's showers and the win- 
ter's snows? Would they still make devastation on 
the plain or surge in mountain waves the surface of 
the deep? Would the earth still turn and make its 
annual tour, and all nature break in gladness under 
the kisses of the sun? The absence of man would not 
affect any of these. Now replace man, what would 
happen? Everything pertaining to the home, the 
vocation, the church, the state and the school will be 



derived. Such is the gross coordination of world rela- 
tions. But a more discriminating- one, however, is 
needed for our purpose. Let us converse with the 
physicist as to the world relations he considers. What 
is his unit of measurement? What is his limit? Ask 
of the chemist his unit of measurement and limit. 
Same of the biologist, the subjectivist, the geogra- 
pher and the astronomer. The physicist begins with 
the particle of ether as his unit of measurement; his 
limit is the molecule. The chemist begins with the 
molecule as an unit of measurement; his limit is the 
cell. The biologist begins with the cell; his limit is 
the man. The subjectivist begins with the man as 
an unit of measurement; his limit is the earth. The 
geographer begins with the earth as an unit of meas- 
urement; his limit is the solar system. The astrono- 
mer begins with the solar system as an unit of meas- 
urement; his limit is the visible universe. Hence, 
from the ether particle to the limits of the visible 
universe, all world relations may be arranged in a 
system of coordination of orders of notions in terms 
of their units and limits. 

This system of coordination of notions may be 
expressed explicitly in mathematical language by 
taking- the geographical order of notions as a basis 

A A 

and representing it by the symbol -«-% Let -^- repre- 
sent an infinitesimal relation or the unit of the sub- 
jective order of notions. Then -^ represents the unit 
of the biological order of notions. By similar repre- 



10 



sentation for the various units and limits of the dif- 
ferent orders in terms of the geographical order of 
notions, the following formula expresses the concep- 
tion of a summation of all possible world relations in 
terms of their units and limits. 

-#4+^3+4i+^+ J ^+^+^ L2 e q ual all possible 
world relations. The same thing may be expressed in 
popular language as follows: (Ether particle .... mole- 
cule) -f (molecule. . . . cell) + (cell. . . .man)-f (man .... 
earth) -|- (earth. . . .solar system) -f (solar system. . . . 
visible universe) equal all possible world relations. 

Having substantiated the system of coordination 
for all notions of things whatsoever, the next thing 
in sequence to satisfy the law will be to establish the 
appropriate point of view. This point of view must 
be such that all the representative thinkers just cited 
may be satisfied. It is believed that the point of view 
of the subjectivist, the standpoint that man is the 
unit for all considerations of terrestrial relations as 
presented by philosophy of the historic past, is inade- 
quate for present day requirements. The modern 
geographer demands an enlarged conception of the 
world. Man is too small an unit of measurement for 
his consideration. Instead of the subjectivist supply- 
ing the unit of measurement and the point of view, 
the modern geographer henceforth will presume to 
bear this responsibility. 

The modern geographer views all terrestrial rela- 
tions from the plane of the ecliptic. His unit of meas- 



11 

urement is the earth, and his limit is the solar system. 
Thus his mind, compared with that of the subjectivist, 
is furnished with a psychological lever of prodigious 
power. The unit of the geographer is the limit of 
the subjectivist From the geographer's standpoint, 
affairs of the terrestrial sphere can be conceived in 
comparatively simple terms. From this point of view, 
the most essential thing for the phenomena of crea- 
tion is easily perceived and the highest derivative of 
terrestrial creation may be positively determined. 
Hence, the mind may attain from this point of view a 
rational perspective for all terrestrial relations. It 
also may perceive a magnificent simplicity running 
through all terrestrial affairs in the most wonderful 
profusion and variety. Here is conceived the sub- 
stratum from which arise the nations of the earth and 
the high peaks of civilization. Here is conceived the 
psychological pole star and compass for guiding all 
humanity in fulfilling its function and working out 
its destiny. The basic impulse and motive of all 
mankind, from the dawn of reason to the present day, 
and which will be the same throughout the life of the 
habitable terrestrial sphere, is plainly manifest to the 
modern geographer. He looks upon the little earth 
from the plane of the ecliptic, from the twentieth 
celestial hour, and perceives the thin column of energy 
from the sun effecting the earth's surface in the daily 
turn and annual tour in beautiful mathematical rela- 
tions, concentric with the central ecliptic or direct 
ray. He knows that if an object be interposed between 

I. oft. 



12 

these two spheres, that all things subjective would 
fade from the face of the earth, and that nothing- save 
objective reality would remain. And, too, although 
the absolute temperature of the earth's mass will not 
have been materially affected, the engagement of 
energy with matter, commonly termed life, would 
cease By removing the object, again would energy 
engage with the surface of the earth; again would 
organisms appear and again from fundamental crea- 
tion would there be evolved its highest derivative — 
man. From these interactions of energy and matter 
the modern geographer deduces this cosmic principle: 
The function of every organism is to dissipate and 
manipulate energy. This principle is the psycholog- 
ical pole star and one more nearly eternal than is 
Polaris as the earth's pole star in the astronomical 
realm. For the former will be true for a thousand 
billion eons hence, or more, while the latter in twelve 
thousand years will have yielded its significance to 
Vega. This cosmic principle is basic for every pos- 
sible consideration of man on the terrestrial sphere, 
and as for that matter, for every habitable globe in 
the realm of world relations. From this principle 
the most trivial activity of man is derived. Hence, 
the statement that magnificent simplicity in the most 
wonderful profusion and variety is a marked charac- 
teristic in the subjective realm. 

As energy becomes engaged with matter, organ- 
isms termed vegetation appear. As these organisms 
become more and more complex in the process of 



13 

engaging- energy, some of them differentiate into 
derivatives of higher forms which dissipate the energy 
found in lower forms back to space. Hence, vegeta- 
ble and animal forms differ solely'in their mechanical 
relations with energy. Organisms engaging energy 
as a chief function are termed vegetable forms. Organ- 
isms dissipating energy as a chief function are termed 
animal forms. As animals become more adept in 
dissipating energy, they become more powerful. 
Hence, the highest derivative of terrestrial creation 
is the most powerful dissipator of energy. That is, 
it causes the more energy to become dissipated back 
to space. This highly derived organism, in common 
parlance, is termed man. Causing energy to become 
dissipated without having it pass through an organ- 
ism is termed manipulating energy. Consequently it 
is easy to distinguish between the human^and the 
brute. The brute is a dissipator, pure and simple. 
It may be stronger than man but it is less powerful. 
A higher evolution of any species whatever signifies 
that it has acquired abilities for a more plentiful and 
economical dissipation of energy. That color of the 
skin of man is most highly prized whose possessors 
manipulate the most energy the most economically. 
It is this and nothing more. Hence, " the greatest 
thing in this world is energy, and the greatest thing 
man can do is to manipulate it." 

Since the relations existing between the factors 
of reality are expressed by the mathematical form of 
thought, and since the manipulation of energy is 



14 

dependent on the knowledge of the properties and 
relations of matter and motion, that people is superior 
who is mathematical. The Occident are superior to 
the orient, not in religion, morality or humanity pure 
and simple, but in the fact that their fundamental 
authority is the mathematical form of thought. They 
follow unconsciously more nearly the requirements of 
an absolute curriculum. They are adepts in geogra- 
phy and mathematics. They study world relations, 
interpret them with definite units of measurement and 
coordinate their deductions from an absolute point of 
view. Consequently, the function of every school 
curriculum is properly to acquaint the mind with the 
most general terrestrial world relations and to coordi- 
nate it with them. This is the especial function of 
the study of modern geography. Its sole purpose is 
to present fundamental world relations and ther sim- 
ple derivatives in such form that they may be con- 
conceived as an entirety in a system of coordinated 
principles. Its central theme is the most general con- 
sideration of energy and gravitation in their relations 
with matter of the terrestrial sphere and their myriads 
of derivatives known as terrestrial creation. Hence 
it is believed that the ground plans of an absolute 
curriculum may be outlined as follows : 



15 



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Such is believed to be the simplest form of an ab- 
solute curriculum. It presents a rational basis upon 
which all educationists may stand to formulate their 
curricula, however diverse may be their aims and far 
apart they may be geographically. The same maybe 
said concerning- the politician, the theolog-ian, the so- 
ciologist and the economist. As it is today, the casual 
observer of the larg-er units of the subjective realm 
will discern that each of the above subjectivists in 
governments well established, prescribes unto himself 
a curriculum of some form by which his course of 
action may receive the sanction of his fellows. Since 
there is no prescribed form from which each may start 
in deriving- his particular curriculum, it is obvious 
that out of the natural jealousies derivative from the 
principle of self preservation, disagreements arise as 
to fundamental and derivative considerations. And 
since fundamental and derivatives in the subjective 
order of notions' are but relative terms, none of the 
above subjectivists will hardly permit it to be consid- 
ered that his curriculum is derivative from the funda- 
mental doctrines of his compeers, any more than any 
fing-er of the hand would present inferior claims for 
importance. Consequently, it must be positively con- 
ceived by each of them that if harmony be attained 
and their efforts be coordinated for the benefit of man- 
kind, their fundamental notions must be immediate 
derivatives from the factors of that curriculum whose 
central theme is the rightful manipulation of energy. 
This is the only basic doctrine which will receive 



17 

unanimous sanction. It is this which is universally 
fundamental to man, and from which all other subjec- 
tive notions are easily classed as derivatives. For, 
" the cause that actuates man, that propelling- genius 
which furnishes him with a motive, which compels 
him to do, and has and ever will furnish him with 
the impulse to progress in the world, is the central 
factor of all subjective reality. Man, the highest de- 
rivative of the objective world, is an index to its po- 
tency. The cosmic principle, — the function of ever} 7 
organism is to dissipate and manipulate energy, — is 
the great central factor which one must perceive 
should he conceive of a rational and a consistent view 
of the subjective and the objective world." 

The state of any civilization may be rationally 
conceived when it can be subjected to the absolute 
curriculum for comparison. Every possible activity 
of man may be expressed in rational terms by making 
the manipulation of energy the common denominator. 
Any race of man, however marked in color, in kink of 
hair, in slant of eyes, or hook and bow of nose, may 
be rated in intelligence and state of civilization by its 
comparative capacities for the rightful manipulation 
of energy. 

Should the radiance of the sun discontinue its 
course toward the earth and the whole surface be 
wrapt in gloom and the presence of man become 
unknown thereon, all subjective reality would cease 
on the terrestrial sphere. And afterwards, should 
Divine favor return to the earth, again would the 



18 

seasons wax and wane, vegetable and animal forms 
would appear and multiply and the human would 
differentiate to fulfill more completely the command 
of all commands and the law of all laws relating- man 
to the world — energy shall be dissipated from the 
earth. And when again would man conceive of the 
cosmic principle and its dictates, and deduce the same 
absolute curriculum. 

The coming- century thus may have its line of 
procedure clearly delineated. The psychological pole 
star has been located, the intellectual compass has 
been devised, the prime meridian and base line to 
man's activities are being established and recorded in 
the new Book of Humanity, the surface of the earth 
is about staked and claimed and it remains for the 
immediate future to begin the solution of the most 
interesting of all problems relating to the future wel- 
fare of civilized man. In so far as annals reveal the 
past, no civilization has attained the art of manipu- 
lating energy comparable with that now exhibited by 
that most progressive and powerful nation of the 
western world. Its genius as revealed in its basic 
doctrines of government, its written constitution and 
its federated autonomies, illumines the political realm 
today with its principles of representative authority 
and exhibits the nearest approach to a true civiliza- 
tion yet recorded on the pages of history. It is the 
prototype of that appearing solidarity, the coming 
federation of the world. 



19 



In the differentiation of the human from the 
brute, man has been enabled to determine right from 
wrong- in positive terms. Out of man's efforts in de- 
termining what is right in the manipulation of energy, 
have arisen those subjective relations known as home, 
church, state, school and vocation. 

The home is the most economical instrument of a 
civilized society for rearing manipulators of energy. 

The church is an indication that manipulators of 
energy recognize a common brotherhood of all man- 
kind and a Creator as a Fatherhood of all. 

The state is an instrument inclusive of a division 
of labor by which the most energy may be manipu- 
lated by the governed the most economically. 

The school is the instrument of organized society 
for preparing successful manipulators of energy. 

The vocation is the manner in which one may 
choose to manipulate energy. 

Happiness is that state of man when in a position 
and condition to manipulate energy rightfully and 
economically. 

Justice is that arrangement in the manipulation 
of energy such that the demands of the sociologist, 
the economist, the statesman, the theologian and the 
educationist are satisfied. Thus it is believed that 
every consideration in subjective reality may be ration- 
ally coordinated by taking the absolute curriculum as 
a basis. 




CHURCH ^- —4— —X ^ SCHOOL 



HOME VOCATION 

LES CINQES MAGNIFIQUES. 

From the diagram, the following- formulae 
are deduced, illustrating- the different possible forms 
of society into which mankind will be arrang-ed in 
their advancement from savagery to civilization. The 
perfect formula is believed to be represented by les 
cinqs magnifiques. All possible undeveloped and the- 
oretical civilizations may be represented in terms of 
of the diagram by HCSSc, HCSV, HSScV, VCSSc,— 
HCV, HSV, HScV, VCS, VCSc,-HC, HS, HSc, HV, 
VC, VS, VSc, CS, CSc, SSc. A true civilization is 
represented by HCSScV. Plato's republic is repre- 
sented by VCSSc. 

That no form of government at the present time 
is found to be perfectly represented in the perfected 
formula is because the function of the vocation with 
its limits, rights and demands is not definitely deter- 



21 

mined. This is the meaning- of all industrial strife of 
the world. The church, the home, the state and the 
school are reasonably well understood by the normal 
mind, but the rights and demands of the vocation as 
one of the basic factors of civilization, as yet, have no 
positive determination. This is the especial and pe- 
culiar problem which the work of ages has brought to 
the twentieth century for solution. "And future his- 
torians will have well recorded when they say that 
man was led out of the darkness of industrial strife of 
the nineteenth century by acquainting himself with 
the doctrines for the rightful manipulation of energy, 
the mandates of the cosmic principle. The doctrine 
of lyddite shells and dumdum bullets for the welfare 
of mankind will then have done." 

If previous considerations be true, the mind of 
man may form conceptions from an absolute basis con- 
cerning its world relations, and the meaning of pro- 
gress of civilization, and be furnished with a scheme 
for their positive and harmonious adjustment by means 
of the absolute curriculum. And it is believed that 
the time will come when every subjectivist will 
direct his course of action by its precepts, and be in- 
spirited by its highest principle, — the basis of a true 
philosophy, the spirit of a true religion, — THE 
RIGHTFUL MANIPULATION OF ENERGY. 



OCT 12 1900 



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